nicoya blue zone culture

After two weeks of exploring the Blue Zone of Nosara, Costa Rica, it immediately became clear just how presently beautiful this country and its culture truly is. Notorious for its vibrant culture, communal and natural environment, and “pura vida” mindset which has made it recognized around the world as one of the most grounded and vibrant cultures to exist. Within this culture, we have found 7 overarching themes, including the guiding values and principles that the Costa Rican people embody and live their life by on a daily basis. These values and grounding principles include community, family, tradition, agriculture, history, and the pura vida lifestyle.

Communal Well-Being

The people of the Nosara Blue Zone and across the country are deeply rooted in their community as they contribute to its social, economic, and communal well-being on a daily basis. By working in various sectors, from planting and growing community vegetables and fruits, cooking the traditional Casado in local restaurants across town, and producing the majority of the work in the tourism sector, everyone contributes to the community’s well-being through multifaceted skill sets and approaches.

On a daily basis, we engaged with local community members during our stay at Nosara Beach Hotel. We learned about the uniquely individual lived experiences of Costa Ricans, their values, interests, and approaches to ensuring their community and every individual within it can thrive. Below we have listed a variety of community members whom we engaged with directly, each teaching us a different facet of their work and life in Nosara.

Nosara Community Members

Coffee Plantation: Juan

Hotel Waiters: Martin and Johan and Debra

Tico Tours (Kayaking): Eduardo

Rodrigo Shuttle: Oliver, Warner, Manuel, Freddie

Chefs at Nosara: Maria and Raquel

Traditional Living

In perhaps one of the most informative and engaging excursions, we traveled to a local coffee plantation that a Nosaran family has cultivated, preserved, and flourished for generations. Owned by a traditional Costa Rican family and led by Juan and his brother, this plantation grows and produces coffee, fruits, vegetables, chickens, and other livestock and produce, and has maintained a traditional approach to living in Costa Rica. A thriving natural environment is critical to the daily well-being and contribution to the Costa Rican community and Juan and his family have centered this approach in their effort to preserve traditional agricultural practices and ways of living.

Traditional Attire

Costa Rican traditional clothing reflects the country’s Spanish roots, traditional dance, connection to agriculture, and economic history. For men, this includes a white shirt and dark blue pants with a wide-brimmed cowboy-style hat and is tradition due to the continuous outdoor agriculture work in the sun. A red cummerbund (a belt-like sash worn around the waist) is also typically included and the outfit in its entirety reveals the proud nature of the Costa Rican people.

Traditional Food

Most notoriously recognized for its traditional Casado dish, Costa Ricans preserve and maintain a balanced diet and commitment to their traditional food. By growing their own foods locally and maintaining quality freshness, the Casado tradition is one that Juan’s family and many others, seek to maintain for the generations that are yet to come.

Pura Vida Mindset

The pura vida mindset is perhaps the most critical component of Costa Rican culture. Utilized as a ritual greeting and farewell, the “pura vida” phrase and ideology are recognized around the world. Within the Nosara community, it is part of the daily experience and engagement with community members and tourists, implying a “pure life” or take it easy mindset is most critical to ensuring a long, happy, and healthy life. Across all areas and excursions we visited, it is a common phrase shared across the region and a critical component of the Costa Rican flourishing culture.

Grounded in its History

According to the 2010 National Census, approximately 100,000 Costa Ricans self-identify as Indigenous. There are eight indigenous peoples in Costa Rica: the Huetar, Maleku, Bribri, Cabécar, Brunka, Ngäbe, Bröran and Chorotega. Within the Nosara community, people who identify as natives are prominently Chorotega people. In fact, the first settlers of the Nicoya Peninsula were the Chorotega. Despite the decimation of their people by the Spanish slave trade in the 16th century, some of their customs and traditions have survived. The production of ceramic pottery is a famous example of traditional Chorotegan art, which the GERO489 class was fortunate to see thanks to the help of Carolina who also has Chorotegan ancestry. These traditional works of art are special to the Chorotegan people because they were regularly used for ritual purposes and usually placed in graves.

The Myth of Nosara

Once upon a time, there was a Chorotegan princess named Sara who was very much in love with a rival tribe’s top warrior. Her father, the king of the Chorotega tribe, did not accept this relationship and forbade the princess to have any contact with this man. Instead, the king had his own plans for his daughter and wanted her to marry the greatest warrior of the Chorotega tribe. However, the princess was in love with another man and hated the idea of being without him. This emotional turmoil led her to run away from home. She ran to the beach and stood on one of the highest cliffs, and at that moment she decided she would rather die than have her father control her life. People gathered around the cliff and started to shout, “No Sara!” They didn’t want their beloved princess to jump off this cliff. To the chagrin of the people, she jumped anyway, and to this day the name of this place is called Nosara.

Rooted in its Agriculture

Historically, Costa Rica has primarily been an agricultural country, using 10% of its land to cultivate crops. Costa Rica has always been predominantly devoted to traditional export crops such as coffee, sugar, and bananas. The temperate climate and fertile soils are conducive to agriculture. There is an abundance of water, where the yearly rainfall averages 4 meters, and irrigation has been used to successfully develop the drier areas of the country. Costa Rica's agriculture is a fundamental industry that accounts for approximately 6.5% of Costa Rica's gross domestic product (GDP) and 14% of its labor force.

Committed to Family

It is not uncommon for Costa Ricans to refer to themselves as "Ticos.” They are a welcoming, proud, friendly, and diverse group of people who enjoy sharing their culture and social activities with newcomers. Typically, Ticos are easy-going people who are always ready to have fun or laugh at a good joke. Friendship and loyalty are extremely important to them. For Costa Ricans, family is the most important element of society. In general, Costa Rican families are very tightly knit and many households are multigenerational. Grandparents, parents, and grandchildren comprise a common family unit, but great-grandchildren, cousins, and other close family members may live together as well. Even after college or becoming financially independent, many young people continue to live with their parents. Unless they get married, most people do not leave home until they want to start their own family, and even then, they try to remain close to their parents. It is important to note that even adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with steady jobs and who live at home do not face a social stigma.

Although living in close quarters can be challenging at times, this practice promotes family unity, and Costa Rican family members enjoy each other's company. Many children count their siblings and cousins as their best friends and favorite playmates, and it is common for families to spend the weekends together. Since they spend so much time with family members of all ages, it is no wonder that children are very compassionate toward each other and other older adults. For instance, children often help their grandparents or lend a hand to other older adults in their community by helping with household chores or lending them a supportive arm to cross the street or board the bus. It is common to see school-age and even teenage youth hold hands with their parents or grandparents and kiss them goodbye before heading off to school. The most common and traditional way to start a family is through marriage. Some Costa Ricans consider only Catholic Church marriages to be official, but civil marriages, whether by a lawyer or with a non-Catholic religious leader, are also commonplace. Costa Ricans have traditionally started families at young ages; however, as more women pursue higher education and out-of-home work, their start to making their own families is getting postponed.

CONCLUSION

Immersing ourselves in Costa Rican culture was quite a noteworthy experience. It is apparent that this culture is a vibrant blend of indigenous heritage and Spanish colonial influence, with strong community ties, respect for the land, and great food. The people of this country, who go by their self-appointed name “Ticos,” have great character and customs, which in turn has revealed what it is like to live a long, happy life. If everyone can live by a more “pura vida” mindset, we can share more happiness and optimism which would encourage us to live life to the fullest.